<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Crawling in Starlight by Im_Chamsae</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24861850">Crawling in Starlight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im_Chamsae/pseuds/Im_Chamsae'>Im_Chamsae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Koriand'r Kollection [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DCU (Comics), Super Sons (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics), Teen Titans - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Mother-Son Relationship, Remembrance, Sad Ending, Wakes &amp; Funerals</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:34:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,764</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24861850</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im_Chamsae/pseuds/Im_Chamsae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Damian Wayne mourns the death of the woman whom he had come to see as a mother to him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jonathan Samuel Kent &amp; Damian Wayne, Koriand'r &amp; Damian Wayne, Past Koriand'r/Dick Grayson - Relationship, Teen Titans &amp; Damian Wayne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Koriand'r Kollection [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813546</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>80</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Crawling in Starlight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspired by this: </p><p>‘Koriand’r is amazing with kids and is always protective of them, treating them like her own. Because of this, Damian will often slip up and refer to her as his mother and Kori doesn’t bother to correct him because she openly loves it.’ –tonsoffacts.com</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Damian,”</p><p>His hands moved over to adjust the dark green tie he wore, one that echoed the deep hues of his own orbs. From the reflections of the window, he could see the worried expression of concern that had draped itself over Jon Kent’s face.</p><p>“You don’t have to do this.” He told him.</p><p>Sighing, he dropped his hands from his silk tie, turning as he frowned at his friend. “Don’t be ridiculous, Kent. What kind of leader would I be if I didn’t?”</p><p>“But Damian, your – “</p><p>“That is enough, Kent.” He held up a single hand, silencing him as he noted that Donna Troy’s speech was coming a close. He watched expressionlessly as the older woman wiped away the tears from her face. Her mouth was moving, yet he didn’t hear the words that came out of them.</p><p>“It’s my turn now.”</p><p>As Donna left the platform, he took it as his cue to enter onto the stage.</p><p>His strides were strong and powerful, with each step emitting a sense confidence as he approached the podium. As he turned towards the audience, he could see a sea of familiar faces. It seems that everybody who was an anybody in the superhero community had taken time out of their busy schedules to attend today’s event.</p><p>It was fitting, but at the same time incredibly unfortunate that it had to be at an event like this that was to unite them.</p><p>As they stared back at him in silent anticipation, he could see that almost all of them wore solemn expressions. Some were already in tears, others wore an unreadable expression but together, they all stood united beneath this single roof to honour the memory of a fallen comrade. A true lost to the superhero community.</p><p>Briefly, Damian took a moment to glance over at the framed photograph that sat on the easel beside him. As he did, a sudden wave of emotion overwhelmed him as he looked at her bright smiling face.</p><p>He could practically feel the joy and happiness radiating from her face. Her glowing green eyes glinting beneath the sunlight, they were so full of life with not a single sign of care in the world. She had always been a free spirit, one who lived her life to the fullest with a great big smile but now… Never again would he, nor anyone else for that matter ever be able to see that lovely smile ever again.</p><p>As he took a deep breath, his cool green eyes stared back towards the front as he decided that it was time for him to give his speech.</p><p>“Koriand’r.” He began, first with her name. “She was a friend, no.” That didn’t sound right to him. “She was more than that, she was,” As he struggled to find the words, he could not help but find himself reflecting on the past.</p><p>Suddenly, he found himself swept away by a wave of thoughts and memories.</p><p> </p><p>When he had first heard of her, he had simply dismissed her as one of Grayson’s former flames from his time as a Teen Titan; one of his more notable and well-known liaisons. The pair had dated for a remarkably long amount of time during his late teenage years to early adulthood. Despite their amicable separation, they had remained close and were still supportive of each other over the years.</p><p>He would come to later meet her in person when he had (forcibly) recruited for his own team of Titans, and slowly but surely, she had come to become someone that he could rely on. She used to fly him around during missions, and never failed to have his back if he needed it.</p><p>There had been something so familiar about her presence. The way that she cared for him, it had reminded him so much of a mother’s love for a child. Before he had even realised it, he had slowly started to see her as a key maternal figure in his life.  </p><p>It had been by accident when he had let the word slip out of his lips.</p><p>He had called her mother. It had been a simple mistake but one that left him feeling incredibly embarrassed by the little admission. He had never wanted her to learn about that little detail, and hoped that it did not offend her at all.</p><p>But she had not minded at all. In fact, she rather liked that he had called her mother and soon openly embraced it, and actually encouraged it.</p><p>It had shocked him that Tamaranean woman would so easily accept the title as her own, but it only reaffirmed the fact that she cared for him. And because of that, he had thought that it was okay. It was fine for him to open himself up more to her, to let her into the small space of bubble he had only reserved for a small number of people in his life.</p><p>Perhaps their time together had been brief, but it had been full of memories.</p><p>He recalled how she used to take him home after missions, carrying him on her back, dropping him off at Wayne Manor at times. Sometimes he was awake, others, he had been barely conscious but nonetheless alive. He remembered the conversations they had. Many under a starry night sky, now those were the ones where she had gleefully told him about her planet, her people and the life she had before she came to earth.</p><p>Just like how Grayson had slipped into the father figure role in his young life, Koriand’r had easily become the mother figure he never knew it was possible for him to have. One that he could confide in, one who would not try to kill him out of sheer pettiness.</p><p>But like all good things in his life – it was short lived.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>If only he had been more careful.</p><p> </p><p>It was supposed to have be an easy mission but he had let his pride get the better of him, he had been too overconfident in his skills and abilities. Perhaps it was because of that, it was why he had never seen the robot coming. He had been so sure he had disabled the automaton but clearly, he had not as it had shot a high velocity projectile his way.  </p><p>It should have been him lying in that coffin.</p><p>Not her.</p><p>But she had pushed him out of the way, taking the metallic chromium bullet straight to the heart, stealing the life from her body in one clean shot.</p><p>Time had stopped for everyone in the room as they watched her fall to her side, the flames of her hair and the glow in green eyes slowly fading out before their very eyes.</p><p>He ran to her side without a slight hit of hesitation, from the corner of his eye, he saw Raven destroy the last of the android that had fired the killing shot. As he reached her, his knees dropped to the ground as he rolled her onto her back.</p><p>Her eyes were still wide open but they held no life to them. No emotion.</p><p>“Is she…” A single nod from Raven was all Beastboy needed before he shut his mouth.  </p><p>Quietly, the rest of the Titans had gathered around them. Each equally as lost on what to say, or how to proceed from now. This had not been the way they ever envisioned this mission going.</p><p>His gloved fingers moved, slowly, he shut her eyes. “She should be allowed to sleep now.” He remembered quietly saying, as he stared down at her peaceful resting face. One that he couldn’t bring himself to pull his eyes away from.</p><p>A deep emotion of regret and guilt had started to boil from within him, but he refused to let his emotions show. Not right now. He had to be strong, for his team.</p><p>“Who’s going to tell Nightwing?” voiced Beastboy, suddenly. His question highlighting a bigger issue that they now faced. How were to break this to the rest of the superhero community?</p><p>They glanced at each other worriedly, neither wanted to have to be the one to make the announcement of their teammate’s unfortunate demise but as they all stared down at Robin’s crestfallen form, they knew that the young boy was not in the right mental state of mind to make the announcement himself. He was trying to stay strong, but even they could see that he was starting to flatter.</p><p>Sighing to herself, Raven decided to speak up, “I’ll inform the League.” She glanced over to Robin, the wave of emotional turmoil that the younger boy was going through at that very moment hit her almost immediately but suddenly, it had died down. As though he was trying to keep it in, to repress it.</p><p>Damian nodded, his back still turned to them. “Beastboy,” he said, his tone scarily calm. “You inform Nightwing and his titans since you’re the one who brought it up.”</p><p>If the changeling had wanted to protest, he was instantly silence by a look sent to him by the remaining members of his team. He immediately shut up, his green eyes staring back at Robin.</p><p>He was holding onto her now, whether it was an act of comfort for Starfire or himself, they could not tell. All they knew was that he looked like a child clinging onto his mother, refusing to let go. They were all aware of how much she had meant to him, and how painful it must be for him to live the rest of his life knowing that she had died protecting him.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>He’d like to think that he had done relatively well in holding his head up high throughout this entire process, but now… he could only see that he had been lying to himself.</p><p>All the strong walls that he had built to hide his true emotions, to prevent them from ever showing as a sign of weakness – everything was now crumbling down right before him.</p><p>‘Was this what Kent had been so concerned about?’ He couldn’t help but wonder, bitterly.</p><p>“She was like a mother I always wished that I had.”</p><p>And as the guilt within him finally consumed him, the dam of tears that he had tried so hard to hold to had finally come bursting open.</p><p>For the first time in forever, Damian Wayne cried.</p><p> </p><p>He cried like the young thirteen-year-old boy he truly was.</p><p>Not a hero, not an assassin, but a mere boy whom had just lost his mother.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I love Koriand’r and I love Damian, but sometimes, I also love writing tear jerkers where I will have to kill of one of my Darlings. </p><p>And I’ve been wanting to write a fic prompted by that little fact for a while now.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>